Creating the look of rust

Ordinary cardboard with the top layer of paper peeled

The start of the layout

Background board and die cuts

Major, major OOPS

If you are on Pinterest or follow any blogs that feature Tim Holtz and/or Seth Apter type of work, you know that "rust" is in. Grunge is back, probably because it has never really left the artist palette. There are a few lines of paint on the market that will give paper, wood, metal, whatever the look of rust. I have yet to buy them. Give me time.

Over the weekend, I found a new blog to follow, and it's on the sidebar: bubblebeesandbutterflies. She does some amazing work with nothing more than imagination and acrylic paint. One of her many blog posts she demoed how to create the look of rust using orange, brown, and black paints. Yesterday I pulled out the following in Golden Fluid Acrylics: Red Oxide, Burnt Sienna, and Quinacridone/Nickel Azo Gold. I also used Americana Terra Cotta, a craft paint but I didn't have a color close to this in the Golden paints. I did one light coat of Red Oxide over the die cut pieces, let it dry, then started to pick up the other 3 colors at random, dabbing them on. Here are the results:

They are a little red, so I may add some orange or yellow, or even a little light green to the mix, then splatter with black. By the way, I have followed Seth Apter's example in die cutting multiple pieces of card stock, then stacking them and using a UHU glue stick to adhere the layers together. The idea is to create texture and depth in the finished project. No idea what that is going to be. Stay tuned.

The Stars. Yeah, boy. Let's talk about how sensitive the scanner is on the Brother's Scan N Cut. I drew the star on printer paper, then used a No. 2 pencil to fill in the star. Thought I had done a good job, cleaned up the edges with an eraser. Scanned it into the machine, saved it, and then did one test print. The scanner had picked up on my individual pencil marks, making many, many minute scratch type cuts in the card stock. Took forever. Lesson learned. Use a Sharpie or paint to fill in areas.

Have a good one.
Linda

Random Thoughts

Gracie girl, resting on my bed after a hard day of Puppy Playground

My first attempt at using the Scan and Cut

Really?

Life is so interesting of late, don't you think?

I read, on a daily basis, around 10 artists blogs. One of those is Balzer Designs, because I truly admire Julie's work. She is also the spokesperson for Brother's Scan N Cut, a machine that is a wonderful tool. If you know how to use it. Fortunately, should you have one, there are over 100 free YouTube videos showing you step by step instructions. I won the CM350 from Julie's blog. Won it. I never win anything. It arrived this past Thursday, and I spent all of Friday afternoon reading the long instruction booklet, and trying stuff. It is a definite learning process. So the machine doesn't get confused, I used a thick black Sharpie to make some lines on a light green piece of cardstock. The above photo reveals what the machine cut, after I scanned the image in, and what it left. No idea why it left some of the green, and I am still trying to figure that out. But how cool is this? I can now make my own stencils, because the blade will cut stencil material. And you all KNOW I just don't have enough stencils in my life. Right? Right.

The Bowling Green Massacre. This is, of course, my poke at KellyAnne Conway because she is beyond belief. Get a grip, KellyAnne. But this brings me to a point that I feel has to be made: we are all responsible for our own actions, our own words. And once those words are spoken, they can't be retracted. The damage, hurt, pain is done. Even if it wasn't intended, it is complete. I have decided that it is good for me to vacate Facebook for awhile. Don't know how long, but the hatred, the venom that is spewed out on a daily basis, stop. Just stop it. Obviously I will never change a Republican's mind about Donald Trump. And just as obviously those that believe in his abilities will never, ever convince me that this man should be running our country. But I have seen a trend here. I have tried my level best to remain neutral, to not react, and if I do say something on Facebook, to keep the tone of the post not inflammatory. Yet yesterday I received a rant from a very good friend. Way off to the right, up, down, and turnaround. It ended with the suggestion I read other news sources, those that weren't biased in my liberal direction. Point taken. Then I had a conversation with a person who has known me since I was 9, assuring me that this is the new norm. We are basically screwed, and the fight must go on. I needed to hear that. That spurred me to call another friend, who has known me since we were 12. She told me to move.

What?

Get out of that red state that you live in, and come back to the blue. Surround yourself with people who think like you do. You NEED to get away from there.

Gosh. Two friends in one day telling me that I don't have the brains to figure out what news to read, where I should be living, or who I should be associating with. Am I drooling? Did I get lost coming home from the dog park? Do I tell anyone else in this world, including my three step kids, how to live their lives? Hell, no. I won't go.

Life is just so very interesting of late, don't you think?
Linda